After reading here about Donna Cadiente's 240 celebrity photos, Garrett Ogawa called to say, "That's nothing! I stopped counting at 500." Ogawa could give paparazzi
a run for their moneyNoting Cadiente's reluctance to dive into the mob scene at star-studded events, Ogawa said, "My friend (Troy Doike) and I have photos plus autographs and we went to the Planet Hollywood opening as a guest of Arnold's." You know the one.
Ogawa, 39, a motor pool parking and security supervisor for the city, got an early start collecting. At age 8, he was the kid on the baseball field, chasing after the Hawaii Islanders.
As the years wore on, he was the oldest kid on the field -- sort of like 20-year-old Halloween trick o' treaters -- but that didn't embarrass him.
"A lot of time people say they're too embarrassed, but I say you gotta ask and talk to (the stars.) I've made a lot of friends through autographs."
These include football players who call on him whenever they're in town, and Ogawa said, "I met the cast and crew of 'Baywatch' and was able to watch them at the Turtle Bay Hilton when they filmed here."
He's trying to make arrangements to see them when he goes to Los Angeles in July.
Through all this, his wife has been supportive. "She understands. Main thing is that I can see but don't touch. I get a lot of patience and understanding from my family."
When Ogawa does see other adults collecting autographs, he said, too often, "People use it as a way of getting money by selling the autographs, but I value it more for friendship. Each of the pictures and autographs I collect has a story, so I would never sell them."
Do you think you've got something that's better
than anyone else's? Or do you have a personal collection that
you think is worthy of boasting? These are the stuffs of Star-Bulletin's
Challenge. Write: P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, HI 96802
and tell us what and how much of it you've got.
We'll put out the challenge.
Nadine Kam, Star-Bulletin